Deloitte Appoints New Chairs and CEOS

Deloitte has appointed Lara Abrash as chair and CEO of Deloitte & Touche, leading Deloitte’s U.S. Audit & Assurance practice; Dan Helfrich as chairman and CEO of Deloitte Consulting; and John Peirson as CEO of Deloitte Risk and Financial Advisory, in each case effective June 2, 2019.

“Lara, Dan, and John are visionary leaders with proven track records of serving our clients with distinction and driving transformative, technology-driven change,” said Joe Ucuzoglu, CEO-elect, Deloitte US. “Each of these leaders is well positioned to drive Deloitte’s continued marketplace leadership across our practices as we deliver innovative offerings and solutions that further enhance the value we deliver to our diverse stakeholders.”

Abrash will succeed Joe Ucuzoglu, who has been elected CEO of Deloitte US, and Helfrich will succeed Janet Foutty, who has been elected chair of the Deloitte US Board of Directors, in each case effective as of June 2, 2019.

Lara Abrash is currently deputy CEO of Deloitte’s U.S. Audit & Assurance practice and a member of the Deloitte US Board of Directors. In her role as deputy CEO, Lara has overseen business strategy for Audit & Assurance, and has been a proven leader in technology-driven transformation within the practice.

“I am honored to serve as the next chair and CEO of Deloitte & Touche,” said Abrash. “The audit profession serves as a critical foundation to the financial markets — and I look forward to leading continuous transformation of our audit and assurance services to enhance quality and meet the evolving needs of the capital markets.”

Abrash brings more than 25 years of experience in public accounting, including 15 years as a partner. She previously served as the national managing partner of Audit Innovation and Client Service Delivery and as the chief operating officer of Deloitte’s U.S. Audit & Assurance practice. Her client service roles have included serving as the global lead client service partner on a variety of large multinational clients across multiple industries, including financial services, consumer products, technology and hospitality.

Abrash is a licensed CPA in New York and New Jersey, and a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants.

Dan Helfrich is currently a principal with Deloitte Consulting and leads the Government & Public Services practice, where he has led a team of more than 13,000 professionals to deliver mission results in a highly complex industry that includes state, local and federal government, nonprofit and higher education clients. He also serves as the chief strategy and transformation officer for Deloitte Consulting.

“This is such an exciting time as new business models and transformative technologies create unlimited opportunities for transformation. I look forward to working with our talented, diverse team as the chairman and CEO of Deloitte Consulting to create positive change globally,” said Helfrich.

In Helfrich’s more than 20 years with Deloitte, he has led large customer-centric transformations for both public and private sector clients. He also played roles as Deloitte’s chief strategy officer for Human Capital and the Civilian Government sector. In addition, he writes and speaks regularly on topics such as purpose-driven leadership, elevating citizen and customer experience, and the future of work.

John Peirson currently serves as the chief operating officer for Deloitte Consulting. Previously, he served as the chief operating officer for Risk and Financial Advisory and deputy CFO of Deloitte US.

Peirson’s leadership roles within Deloitte have enabled him to gain invaluable perspectives on driving success across the organization, while bringing deep expertise in technology, risk and operational transformation to clients.

“Uncertainty is a given in today’s complex global business environment, but, when managed well, that ‘uncertainty’ can also breed innovation and disruption,” said Peirson. “I look forward to working alongside our professionals as we help clients manage cyber, transactional, regulatory, accounting, technology and financial crime, and other risks — changing the game in their industries while they do it.”